6th February 2019

Information is key to good decision making and effective underwriting. We can only identify, assess and price risk if we completely understand our environment, its activities and, importantly, its history. Whilst investment companies continue to recite “past performance is no guarantee of future results”, for underwriters, having a firm handle on past performance is a key ingredient to assessing future risk.

17th January 2019

The first days of 2019 have started with a series of tragic and severe shipping incidents: Oil tanker Aulac Fortune caught fire off Hong Kong after an explosion, freighter Volgo Balt sank off the Turkish coast in heavy weather, six crew members were abducted from the container ship MSC Mandy off Benin, container ship Yantian Express is burning far off the east Canadian coast, MSC Zoe lost nearly 300 containers in rough weather in the North Sea. Anything but a smooth start to the New Year!

1st November 2018

Container ship fires are a real concern for marine insurance and the shipping industry as a whole. Major fires on container vessels, such as the Maersk Honam this year, the CCIN Arauco or the Maersk Karachi in 2015 show the helplessness and vulnerability of the crew onboard and fire fighters ashore. 

31st August 2018

The entirety of the possible legal implications of a crewless merchant vessel cannot be summarised simply. But the main concern for autonomous...

15th June 2018

Networking in the marine sector is increasing at an accelerated rate. Technological advancement does not simply increase efficiency; it also brings new dangers.

2nd May 2018

From my perspective, one of the biggest challenges we face as global marine insurers is a need to bring in fresh new talent. The gap between the older stalwarts and the young pretenders continues to widen, and that’s worrying. A wave of industry veterans will be retiring over the next decade and replacements must be found.

28th February 2018

Recently I had the opportunity to listen to a panel of marine insurance professionals still in the early part of their careers. Also in attendance was...